This website collects cookies to deliver better user experience. Cookie Policy
Accept
Sign In
The Wall Street Publication
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Reading: Tech-Savvy Kids Defeat Parental-Control Features
Share
The Wall Street PublicationThe Wall Street Publication
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.
The Wall Street Publication > Blog > Business > Tech-Savvy Kids Defeat Parental-Control Features
Business

Tech-Savvy Kids Defeat Parental-Control Features

Editorial Board Published December 19, 2021
Share
Tech-Savvy Kids Defeat Parental-Control Features
SHARE

For the past three years, Lance Walker has been locked in a cat-and-mouse game with his 11-year-old daughter for control over her iPhone and iPad.

Contents
Lance Walker and his daughter, Peyton; she got around several of her father’s attempts to use Apple’s Screen Time controls to block her from certain apps.Newsletter Sign-upNotes on the NewsSHARE YOUR THOUGHTSParker Bullock is writing his own computer code to come up with a workaround for the router-connected device his father uses to limit his videogame playing.

Initially he considered TikTok a harmless distraction, which Peyton used for watching dance videos. When he discovered she was receiving messages from adult men she didn’t know after posting public videos of herself doing silly poses, he quickly went into Apple Inc.’s parental-control settings to block access to the app. Peyton countered by using a different Apple ID to download new apps including TikTok.

When he tried to delete the Apple ID, she changed the password to block his access to the account. It continued like that for months—his daughter thwarted every attempt by Mr. Walker, a 43-year-old real-estate broker in Johnstown, Colo., to block certain apps through Apple’s Screen Time controls.

“It was a nightmare,” Mr. Walker said. He said he and his wife are still working on a reliable way to keep Peyton off TikTok.

Apple and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, the two main software providers for smartphones, have touted parental controls as a way for parents to keep tabs on their children’s technology use. But tech-savvy children, whose online time skyrocketed during the pandemic, are finding ways to circumvent the controls meant to protect them.

Lance Walker and his daughter, Peyton; she got around several of her father’s attempts to use Apple’s Screen Time controls to block her from certain apps.

Photo: Joshua Walker

Parents say the controls aren’t simple enough and there are too many loopholes. Individual apps like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok also have their own controls, adding to the complexity of managing children’s online activity. Parents can pay for additional parental-control services such as Bark, which can monitor kids’ activities on certain apps, and Circle, which can filter access to apps and place time restrictions—but even those have limitations.

“We are committed to providing our users with powerful tools to manage their iOS devices and are always working to make them even better,” an Apple spokeswoman said.

Google declined to comment. TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., declined to comment but pointed to some of its protections: TikTok users can set their accounts to private, which limits who can view their content and message them. TikTok has added more parental controls since Mr. Walker’s discovery, including the ability for parents to link their kids’ accounts to their own.

Parents and experts say Apple’s Screen Time offers solutions, but setting it up can be complicated, and a mistake could give kids permission to use a service that was meant to be restricted.


Newsletter Sign-up

Notes on the News

Today’s headlines, news in context, and good reads you may have missed.


“I’ve been in tech for a long time, and I understand products pretty well, and I was incredibly confused,” said Tim Kendall, former president of Pinterest, who most recently ran a screen-time management app.

Unfettered access to screens and exposure to questionable content has been linked to children’s mental-health issues. In September, The Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, was aware that the app can be harmful for a sizable percentage of younger users, particularly teen girls. Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms Inc., has disputed the characterization of the findings.

At a Senate hearing earlier this month, Instagram head Adam Mosseri told lawmakers that he was committed to launching a version for children with parental controls in place, following the Journal’s investigation. Instagram also unveiled new features this month that it said will make the site safer for teenagers.

Social-media apps like TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Instagram this past summer announced a slew of new parental controls and increased safety tools ahead of new regulation in the U.K. that demands tech companies design products with children’s safety in mind.

Apple hasn’t released a significant update to Screen Time since it was launched in 2018 as part of iOS12. The iPhone is the device of choice for U.S. teens, giving it outsize significance. According to a fall survey of 10,000 teens conducted by Piper Sandler, about 87% of them said they own one.

A number of online safety groups suggest some fixes Apple could make to help parents: One would be to give them the ability to prevent children from deleting iMessage texts; another would add age-based safety defaults activated during device setup when the user discloses their birthday.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

How do you monitor your child’s use of devices? Join the conversation below.

No matter what the companies do, kids are devising ways to outwit the tech skills of their parents, from basic passcode spying—secretly turning on a screen recorder before asking their parents to tap in a security code—to a more-extreme move like a factory reset, which clears previously established Screen Time settings.

Some parents are coming up with their own solutions.

Stephanie Pollay, a licensed clinical social worker in Richmond, Va., logged her daughter’s Apple ID into her own laptop so she could monitor text messages, which her daughter had been deleting. The move proved crucial when her daughter was cyberbullied during a series of group texts. Most of the kids had deleted the messages but because Ms. Pollay had a copy, the parents and school administrators were able to address the incident, which involved physical threats against her daughter.

“This is a full-time job. I don’t have time for another full-time job,” Ms. Pollay said.

Chad Bullock, a 50-year-old sales manager at a tech company, employs three layers of controls to keep his son in check: Google Family Link, Bark parent monitoring software and Circle—none of which has been foolproof against his teen.

Parker Bullock is writing his own computer code to come up with a workaround for the router-connected device his father uses to limit his videogame playing.

Photo: Karen Beth Photography

Mr. Bullock’s 14-year-old son, Parker, says he has downloaded his fair share of viruses in his quest to get around Circle, a hardware device that connects to his home router. His mission, he says, is to figure out a way to be able to play videogames for longer than the 2.5 hours he is permitted on weekends.

Parker found a YouTube video that showed him how to spoof a Media Access Control, or MAC, address to the same one as his Mom’s phone, granting him freedom from restrictions. He had been playing videogames until past midnight for two blissful months when one night his father caught him red-handed at 2 a.m.

“My dad was not happy,” Parker said.

Now he is writing his own code to come up with a workaround. When it’s done, “I’m definitely going to post it all over the internet,” he said.

Write to Yoree Koh at yoree.koh@wsj.com

Copyright ©2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

TAGGED:Business NewsPAIDWall Street Publication
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article ‘SNL’ ditches audience, limits cast and crew amid omicron ‘SNL’ ditches audience, limits cast and crew amid omicron
Next Article Sky-High Lumber Prices Are Back Sky-High Lumber Prices Are Back

Editor's Pick

JPMorgan unveils its 2025 summer season studying record

JPMorgan unveils its 2025 summer season studying record

JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon on the significance of management abilities, deregulation coverage, power independence and the Federal…

By Editorial Board 4 Min Read
Man shot and killed on one hundredth Avenue in Oakland on Saturday
Man shot and killed on one hundredth Avenue in Oakland on Saturday

Oakland police are investigating the loss of life of a person, 34,…

1 Min Read
Japan to Start Medical Trials for Synthetic Blood This 12 months
Japan to Start Medical Trials for Synthetic Blood This 12 months

credit score – Adrian Sulyok on Unsplash Japan is the primary nation…

4 Min Read

Oponion

Bank Stocks Could Be Big Winners Ahead of Potential Fed Rate Rises

Bank Stocks Could Be Big Winners Ahead of Potential Fed Rate Rises

Bank investors are ready for higher Treasury yields.The S&P 500…

January 11, 2022

Warriors fade in story of two halves loss to Kings

SACRAMENTO — The Warriors are a…

January 23, 2025

Former Financial institution of England governor Lord King says revenue taxes should rise | Politics Information

Lord Mervyn King advised Sophy Ridge’s…

February 26, 2025

Polls in swing states start to shut in a sharply divided America

By Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Worth…

November 6, 2024

Jeff Bezos takes one other pathetic step in his march towards MAGA

Amazon introduced on Monday that it's…

March 10, 2025

You Might Also Like

Omnispace, Gatehouse Satcom and Nordic Semiconductor Exhibit 5G NB-IoT Functionality over Non-Geostationary S-band Satellite tv for pc
Business

Omnispace, Gatehouse Satcom and Nordic Semiconductor Exhibit 5G NB-IoT Functionality over Non-Geostationary S-band Satellite tv for pc

Omnispace, Gatehouse Satcom, and Nordic Semiconductor, at the moment introduced the profitable demonstration of a 5G narrowband Web of Issues…

3 Min Read
74% of asset monitoring initiatives meet or exceed ROI expectations
Business

74% of asset monitoring initiatives meet or exceed ROI expectations

Companies adopting IoT asset monitoring options prioritize wonderful vendor help and seamless integration capabilities over an intensive checklist of options,…

2 Min Read
Iridium and Syniverse Companion to Convey Direct-to-Gadget Satellite tv for pc Connectivity to Cellular Community Operators Worldwide
Business

Iridium and Syniverse Companion to Convey Direct-to-Gadget Satellite tv for pc Connectivity to Cellular Community Operators Worldwide

Iridium Communications Inc., a number one supplier of world voice and knowledge satellite tv for pc communications, right now introduced…

3 Min Read
3 Modern Methods Healthcare Companies Use Tech To Enhance The Affected person Expertise
Business

3 Modern Methods Healthcare Companies Use Tech To Enhance The Affected person Expertise

The healthcare trade is among the largest proponents of know-how use all through the office. It’s an trade stuffed with…

4 Min Read
The Wall Street Publication

About Us

The Wall Street Publication, a distinguished part of the Enspirers News Group, stands as a beacon of excellence in journalism. Committed to delivering unfiltered global news, we pride ourselves on our trusted coverage of Politics, Business, Technology, and more.

Company

  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability

Term of Use

  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices

© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?